1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disposable litter box for animals such as cats or dogs and includes a tray formed from cardboard with an attached plastic sleeve for covering the tray for disposal purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Owners of small household pets such as cats are constantly faced with the problem of litter disposal. It is usual to have a pan or tray formed from metal or plastic into which sand or other granular litter materials are placed for use by the pet. Goldman et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,137 demonstrates a sanitary container liner within a conventional litter box. When used, the liner can be closed and conveniently discarded. U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,544 demonstrates the use of a cardboard litter box and U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,314 shows a litter package having an adjustable opening. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,597 teaches a self-straining litter box having two (2) compartments for alternate use. While others have developed various techniques and devices to improve the convenience of litter disposal by pet owners, various problems such as sanitation, spillage and high costs have remained.
With the present disadvantages known and problems associated therewith enduring, the present invention was conceived and it is one objective to provide a litter box which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which is easy to put into use and to dispose by the pet owner.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a disposable litter box which includes top sections which can be easily removed to expose the sand or other litter granules contained therein.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a litter box housing into which the disposable litter box can be inserted and secured therein.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a litter box having a tray and an extendable sleeve whereby, upon removal of the litter box from the housing the sleeve extends to enclose the tray for sanitary purposes.
It is still yet another objective of the present invention to provide fastening means on the sleeve handle for securing the litter box in the housing during use, and after use for maintaining the handle in a folded position as the sleeve encloses the litter tray.
Other objectives and advantages of the present invention become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed explanation of the invention is presented below.